Premixing Petrol / Oil at petrol stations

All you two smoke guys, are you sick of guessing your oil quantities at petrol stations, or confused with all the measuring methods you have seen? Here’s a foolproof and clean method.

1.Get one of those new squeezy bottles you get sauce in. They have a clever ‘non drip’ rubbery nozzle and a cap. I think Heinz do a sauce bottle, but I have found the Branston Brown Sauce bottle to be a good size (and the oil hasn’t rotted the seal either)

2.Empty out the sauce and wash and dry the bottle.

3.Double check your mix ratio, and find an accurate way of dispensing one litre’s worth. We have a local farmer’s shop which sells large syringes for a few pence.

4.Dispense one measure into the bottle and mark the oil level on the bottle, a CD pen works great.

5. Dispense a second measure into the bottle and mark the new oil level on the bottle, continue doing this until the bottle is full. Put the cap on the bottle.

6. OK, you now have your measures, but the marks won’t survive the trails, so get a sharp pointed knife (like a scalpel or Stanley knife ) and (using the blade sideways) scratch along the line. These scratches will soon fill with muck and stay very visible.

7. Now to fill up. Estimate how many litres you may need and minus one. Remove the petrol cap, flip the cap on your oil bottle and turn it upside down, (the oil doesn’t run out!). From the current oil level, count down your estimated number of measures you need and hold your thumb on that line.

8. Squeeze / pump the oil into the tank until the level reaches your thumb (you can mis-count this way).

9.Now fill up with petrol, this way the force of the petrol pump mixes the oil rather than adding after filling and shaking the bike violently. Check the amount of litres on the petrol pump and top up the oil if you need a bit more.

10.Before you close the lid on the oil bottle, squeeze a bit of air out so it’s under a bit of vacuum, this way if the day warms up, it won’t expand and ooze oil in your bag.

This all sounds a bit complicated when written out, but it’s a breeze once you have done it a couple of times. Or get a four Stroke!Happy trails,Miff